Bittersweet
by Jadecoyote
Summary: Anthony Van Dort, 24 year old young man born in a kind and rich family. One day after wishing his father and mother Victor and Victoria a happy twenty fifth anniversary an accident occured. After hitting his head he ended up in the Land of the Dead
1. Chapter 1

-1Bittersweet 

By Jadecoyote

Rated: T

(Author's Note: I love Tim Burton very much and own nothing that he created. He is the maker of Corpse Bride not me. Anthony is my own creation)

**Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,  
And sorry I could not travel both  
And be one traveller, long I stood  
And looked down one as far as I could  
To where it bent in the undergrowth;**

Then took the other, as just as fair,  
And having perhaps the better claim,  
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;  
Though as for that the passing there  
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay  
In leaves no step had trodden black.  
Oh, I kept the first for another day!  
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,  
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh  
Somewhere ages and ages hence:   
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--  
I took the one less traveled by,  
And that has made all the difference

...Robert Frost

Scene 1

Victor Van Dort removed his top hat as he stepped into the foyer room of their

beautiful home. He and Victoria had been married for twenty-fifth joyful years, but he

could not forget Emily. It was a thought that still stuck with him for years, his poor lost

Emily. The years had gone by like leafs being twirled in the wind until he finally hit his

twenty fifth anniversary. Victory stepped into the main room when he heard a violin

being played and smiled widely. Victor walked to the piano and played the concerto with the keys under his fingertips along with the violin. He stopped playing when his wife

walked in and stood in the doorway.

"Hello darling." Victor said and stood up and accidentally knocked the piano stool

over. The young man who was playing the violin stopped and looked at Victoria and set it

down. He was dressed in a Victorian style black suit and shined shoes, his hair was

unusually long and tired back in a ponytail. Victoria, his mother had tried so hard to get

him to cut it but it was futile. Anthony looked at his mother and father and smiled

affectionately. "Happy Anniversary Mother and Father" he said and walked up to his

mother and embraced her. Victoria looked fondly at her son who other then the long hair

was the exact image of her husband. They might have a lot of money but her son had the

same thing that only ran in their breeding, kindness and the sweet nature. Victor was

watching his son glad that unlike himself Anthony was bolder yet polite, not timid like

himself.

"I am going for my nightly ride and will not make it to dinner, but I feel this

would be the perfect time for you two to spend time together" he said comforting the fact

that his parents even after twenty four years wanted him around. They had never

pressured him into marrying giving him plenty of time. Anthony had always thought that

it was strange that in this time that they never asked him to marry when they were

arranged long ago. He had never heard the whole story about what happened but he

guessed it was something interesting. After kissing his mother goodbye he crossed

through the hall and out the back door to the stable. He was going to ride his favorite

horse Shadow to blend through the night, this practice had been done since he was a little

boy usually riding alone because his father was afraid of horses. Anthony patted the horse and started to saddle up the horse. When he was ready he led the horse out into the field.

The air was unusually chilly but he paid no mind to it. He mounted the horse and with a

squeeze galloped down the path. The woods rose from both sides of him as he rode. Soft

snow fell upon the parched ground as he came to the bridge. Oh how he loved this bridge.

He used to come here with his father on days like this. He observed that every time

Anthony came here his father used to get a far off but never said why. The cawing of the

crows distracted him causing his head to snap up and making him look around. When the

crows started to swoop down in front of his horse he felt fear rising in his chest.

"Woah boy!" Anthony cried but it was too late. The horse nayed and pulled at the

reins in fright. He could clicking of the hooves on the wooden bridge as the horse bucked.

In the struggle to get control his lithe body was thrown off the back of the horse and

hitting the ground. The young Van Dort remembered only the blackness as his head hit

the hard wood.

When Anthony awoke it was to jazz music and loud voices around him. He tried

to look around but all he saw was blurring images and bright colors. Placing his hand to

the side of his head he took in a deep breath. "Where…" he said as his vision cleared. His

own voice died as he saw what looked like men, women, and a short skeleton with a

sword in his chest. Finally he screamed and scrambled to get to his feet. Where was he?

(Please Review and I will continue to write it )


	2. Chapter 2

Scene 2: Wake up Call and Dead Bouquet

(Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews and I was touched by them..so heres the next chapter)

Anthony's vision cleared as he sat looking at each person around him. It took a while for him to come to grips on what he was seeing. Quickly he got to his feet his eyes wider then

usual.

"Hey you're a sight for sore eye sockets" a gruff voice said from his right. Slowly he turned his head feeling the white hot pain that seemed to surround him. What he was looking at

was a skeleton wearing a black bowler hat with only one eye. It wasn't only the appearance of the skeleton, but the thing he said. "Wh..what are you talking about?" Anthony

stuttered though it usually wasn't his problem unlike his father. There was a murmur around the crowd at this statement. "The poor dear must have hit his head harder then I thought"

the squat blue woman spoke up wearing in a chef's uniform. Anthony backed into the bar with a thud. "Excuze a moi, Victor" The severed head said after falling on its side and

spilling out bugs onto the hard surface. Victor? Victor? These dead people knew his father? So many questions came to mind and curiosity overwhelmed his fear.

"Excuse me. Let me through" a dainty female voice said before she could be seen. Anthony tried to calm his mind down but he felt the burning in his throatthat he might cry out in

frustration. Anthony felt his breath fall short when he saw a blue and white butterfly flying low in front of him and landed on his shoulder. It reminded him of when he was a child and

he watched his father drawing butterflies in his sketchbook, he had the same talent. He finally smiled and brought his right hand up and gently touched the butterfly and chuckling

softly though the situation was so surreal. Turning his gaze from the butterfly he finally saw the woman who had spoken so light and sweet. Beautiful was the only word he could

form in his mind. The girl was dressed in a veil and a tattered bride's dress. Like all of the other people that were around him she was dead. "Victor?" she said moving closer to him

and leaning her head forward to inspect him, a wide smile on her face.

"No No I'm not Victor.Victor is my father" Anthony said in an unsure tone of voice suddenly not wanting to disappoint the woman. "How do you know my father? Who are you

people?" he cried.

"He is not Victor…and he is not dead…" Said the snide voice of Lord Barkis.

(hee hee review and I will give you more)


	3. Chapter 3

-1

Scene 3: All Over Again

(Author's Note: Thanks for all of the reviews! I love you guys. Poem by _Kathleen Roberts_)

_Andalucia, land of lucid light  
Painters dream you  
See in your rugged scapes  
Al-Andaluz's moonwashed cities rising from the plains  
guarded by keyhole studded fierce yellow walls  
Bastions of that glorious heathen past_

Dali's bonebleached deserts 

Picasso's motherland.

Lord Barkis's lip curled in a sneer as he looked at the young breathing gentleman. "It seems that like father and son who cannot keep from the grips of death" Barkis said in a cold yet airy tone of voice as if he didn't care either way. The corpse bride ignored the rude man and placed her hands on Anthony's shoulders. "Its alright my name is Emily. Your father had been here well a long time ago..heh..it was before he was married to Victoria" she said letting the name of the other woman fall from her lips. Anthony smiled slowly at her and tilted his head to the right. "Its nice to meet you Emily. I just don't know where I am" he said. Anthony ignored Barkis's snide mutters and let out a deep breath.

_In the hot velvet night  
when sleep is hounded by heat  
thick enough to cut  
your bittersweet song  
drifts from the hill like perfume on the breeze_

Echoes of Moorish yesteryears float in flamencos' mournful wails  
Mingle the mullah's call to prayer  
with the sound of tragedy and love  
Dark gypsies staccato heels chase rhythms of steel guitars

"Poor thing your in the Land of the Dead" she said slowly. Anthony opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "But your not dead..I don't know how you got here but we can go and find out" Emily added. Anthony gave the corpse woman a lethargic look. "Please do tell my lady..Because this is kind of hard to deal with" Anthony replied. Emily reached out to touch his shoulder and was surprised that he didn't flinch in reaction to her touch.

"Elder Gutknect would know what to do" she said confidently. 'Its déjà vu all over again isn't it Emily' the worm said within her head causing her to shake her head and frown a bit. Anthony watched her closely but said nothing. "Lead the way.." he said and followed her down the crooked street.

_Brave bulls fight lusty men  
whose flaming capes  
mock and madden  
Till -- on their knees --  
they take the final cut.  
Bloodroses weep in the dust_

Your duende seduces   
Lovers of death  
Drawn to your bloody history  
riddled with bullets of freedom  
Cold priests extortions  
Inquisitors pitiless tools


End file.
